Migratory Bird Stopover Welfare | Animal Welfare Hub

Migratory birds face exhaustion, predation and starvation during stopover periods, and protecting stopover habitat is essential for their welfare and survival.

Key Facts

Billions of birds migrate twice annually between breeding and wintering grounds, many traveling thousands of miles
Stopover sites are critical: birds may need to double their body weight in fat reserves over a few days before crossing major barriers
Habitat degradation at key stopover sites including wetlands, woodland edges and coastal scrub causes birds to arrive at crossing points in poor condition
Building collisions kill an estimated 600 million birds annually in the United States - many during migration
Light pollution disorients migrants; turning off lights during migration seasons reduces collision mortality
Climate change is altering the synchrony between bird arrival and peak food availability - a welfare-threatening mismatch

Welfare Considerations

Migration is physiologically extreme. Birds fueling for transoceanic crossings must consume insects continuously at stopover sites to meet energetic demands. A warbler unable to find sufficient food at a stopover before crossing the Gulf of Mexico may attempt the crossing underweight - increasing the chance of exhaustion and death at sea. The welfare significance of stopover habitat is thus acute: inadequate food at the right time and place translates into physiological stress, exhaustion and death for individual birds. Building collisions cause traumatic injury to many birds - the majority die immediately or within hours from head trauma. Addressing migration welfare requires protecting stopover habitat quality, reducing building collision risk and maintaining climate-appropriate food availability through insect habitat management.

What You Can Do

Keep cats indoors during peak migration periods (spring and autumn) to reduce predation of exhausted migrants
Make windows bird-safe using decals, screens or bird tape to reduce collision mortality
Participate in lights-out campaigns during migration seasons in cities along major flyways
Plant native shrubs and trees that support insect populations as fuel sources for migrating birds